


New York, New York

by simplicitive



Series: The Relationship Which Kuroko Has [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Blushing, Cute, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Romance, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-24 21:17:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1617359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplicitive/pseuds/simplicitive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko's eyelashes flutter open and his lips are a bright shade of pink and he feels like a city.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New York, New York

Kuroko Tetsuya wasn't sure how he had ended up in such a ridiculous situation.

Kuroko was due to venture to America with Kagami in order to meet his parents. It felt too official, as if this were some crucial step that was not meant to be reached at this point in time--to say the least, Kuroko felt uneasy, but Kagami seemed indifferent to the thought. Kuroko wondered about this the last few days of school, for it was not as if Kagami was easygoing about his parents; it was as if the idea of Kagami's parents was a deattached event to the rest of their plans altogether.

The latter portion of their vacation was to be spent in California, which was what all of his attention was directed towards. Kagami would talk about specific tourist spots he would have to take him, certain restaurants that were an absolute must, places that Kuroko would enjoy. How much sunscreen Kuroko would need for his pale skin.

And a week before they were due to fly out, Kuroko finally understood why Kagami acted in such a way.

"My parents cancelled." Kagami said placidly, sitting down at his usual spot in Maji Burger.

"Is everything alright?" Kuroko asked without missing a beat, realization washing over him as he looked away from the mother and child he was watching just before Kagami sat down.

"They're busy, that's all."

There was a moment where Kuroko wondered if it was appropriate for him to ask certain things about Kagami's home life. Even with their relationship, which had long since been established on physically intimate levels, there was still a certain kind of inexperience that both parties had, making the emotional aspects much more difficult. This was not, however, because of their unwillingness or a lack of trying--rather, because of how Kagami fumbled around with his own emotions, it made it difficult for Kuroko to react. Kuroko also had his fair share of greenness, but he found no shame in expression and stated things in a very blunt manner upon mulling over them enough. Kagami rarely thought--words that were meant to be said, those that he deemed necessary, that is, would be said. That was all.

But Kuroko felt as though there was more to talk about. He didn't get the chance to ask, however, for Kagami was already speaking again.

"I'll just have more time to show you around New York."

Right, New York City. Kuroko was unsure of what to expect--Americans, confusion, heat, industrialization. He was, to a certain degree, excited for their trip, but Kagami's aloofness towards his parents had bothered him. This was two weeks ago, and they had not discussed Kagami's parents since.

Now, standing in the midst of the bustle of Central Park, he took out the map that he had picked up earlier at the station and flipped it around a couple times, his eyes narrowing at the paper, asking for its secrets. He knew there was a body of water towards his left, and... lots of grass. The park was one of the largest structures of the city, and Kuroko was too lightheaded to figure out his exact location. With no avail, he pocketed it again and looked around before taking the path to his right, attempting to find shade from the burning heat. He should have brought a water bottle. He should have stayed closer to Kagami. He should have put on more sunscreen. Kuroko tripped over his own feet, frowning as he got to one of the benches. He wasn't sure where he was in relation to the park, where Kagami was, how far he had walked, and all he wanted to do was rest...

_"Excuse me, are you alright?"_

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Kagami Taiga wasn't sure how he could have been so stupid.

"Kuroko! Kuroko Tetsuya!"

To say that he was pissed was an understatement--Kagami was furious, tearing apart the entire park with his powerful strides and booming voice. They were together on 59th Street, right at the edge of the massive greenspace, but when Kagami turned back around to ask Kuroko what he wanted for lunch he was nowhere to be found, lost in the massive, perpetually shifting crowd. He cursed so loudly that he was certain the wildlife at the other end of Central Park could hear him.

"Kuroko! You bastard, I'm going to kill you!"

He was soaked with sweat at this point, his tank top beginning to become transparent underneath the heavy rays of the afternoon sun. The trees in the Mall provided dappled shadows over the park benches, a strong gust occasionally blowing through and sending white flower petals fluttering downward, mimicking snowfall. Kagami felt the fear in his chest swell up, making it hard for him to breathe as the panic set in and Christ, how far could this guy have gone?

Gasping for air, he swore and hit one of the nearby trees, causing the pedestrians who were sitting on the nearby bench to exclaim and leave out of fright. How could he have been so stupid? He should have anticipated this, prepared in advance--after all, it was hard to keep track of Kuroko on the court some days. He should have brought one of those backpacks with leashes on them.

_"Do you not speak English? Please, have some water."_

_"I am fine."_

A Japanese accent?

Kagami's head whipped around so fast he was certain it would break. He could see a tall blond man with a water bottle in his hand motioning towards someone lying down on the third bench down from him. He stood.

"KUROKO!"

The foreigner nearly died of a heart attack while Kuroko sighed in relief. He would think an athlete would be able to find him in less time, but at least Kuroko could finally get this stranger away--

_"Are you his friend? He's very dehydrated--"_

_"Leave."_

The foreigner looked towards Kuroko, who gave him a nod. Raising his hands in defeat and muttering something under his breath, he left the two alone. Kuroko opened his eyes slowly, looking up to see sunlight streaming through the branches towering above him, leaves fluttering downward and twirling. He could hear faint footsteps, and suddenly there was a shadow cast over his face.

"He was only trying to help--"

"Don't you fucking move, you hear me?"

"Yes, Kagami-kun."

He could hear footsteps padding away and Kuroko sighed, placing the back of his hand over his eyes and breathing in dogwood and wisteria. It was much cooler in the shade, and he could hear the laughter of children and the strange sounds of English in different accents in his hazy state of mind. He could hear someone running towards him--Kagami.

"Can you sit up?"

Kuroko moved to prop himself on his arms, but before he could even finish his attempt Kagami was lowering him back down. He felt loose and weak all over, and there was a faint hum in his head as he was placed back down on the bench. Kagami's hand, however, remained under his head.

"You need to drink."

He nodded, half-lidded eyes closing once more. As soon as he heard the clear crunching of plastic he parted his lips, feeling Kagami's against his own a moment later, tasting cool water running into his mouth and down his throat. He swallowed. Kagami kissed him again and again, and he let himself get lost in the way Kagami's hand cupped his cheek, the freckled sunlight and its constantly shifting arrangement, the smell of sweat and sunscreen...

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Kuroko awoke in Kagami's lap. His eyes fluttered open and he could feel Kagami tense as he sat upright. He stood up faster than Kagami would have liked him to, but Kuroko had consumed the entire bottle of water that he had bought and had rested somewhere between twenty to thirty minutes in the shade.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Kagami-kun."

"We lost each other. It's not as though you ran away from me."

Kuroko nodded. "I did not doubt that you would find me."

It was silent between them, and the street performers doing acrobatics had gathered a small crowd that clapped every so often. When he stood up beside Kuroko he said nothing and took Kuroko's hand in his own larger one. Kagami laced his fingers with Kuroko's, his thumb stroking the soft skin of Kuroko's hand.

"However, I'm not losing you again."

He looked up at Kagami, whose narrowed eyes were not reflecting anger, but rather an overwhelming sense of concern as well as a quiet solemnity that he often showed while training. It was this look of a wordless resolve that made Kuroko open his mouth to respond, but he quickly decided against it.

"This is gross. Your hand is sweaty."

"You were going to say something else, weren't you!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the trip went smoothly. Between peeking into stores and trying on ridiculous articles of clothing--at one point Kuroko put on a knit husky beanie and Kagami had to leave the changing area --to hitting as many tourist spots as possible, the two barely had time to rest. Despite Kuroko's offhanded complaints, Kagami refused to let go of his hand, earning them several side eyes and a few outright looks throughout their trip--this was not due to the nature of their relationship, but the physical appearance of the two of them together. Kagami wondered how long it would take Kuroko to say something about the looks they received, but every time he mentioned something about hand-holding, it involved nothing of the sort. Despite bringing it up from time to time, not once did Kuroko let go.

It was weird. Kagami felt weird. He didn't want to be overbearing but he couldn't lose Kuroko like that again in the city, especially since it was getting darker now--the crowd was different, and there wouldn't be a kind foreigner to coddle Kuroko while Kagami had his head up his ass.

"Kagami-kun."

He looked over at Kuroko, and, without warning, a spoonful of gelato was placed between his lips.

"Cold!"

"Your ice cream is going to melt."

Kagami grumbled before shoving the rest of his gelato in his mouth. If his lack of interest in food wasn't a dead give-away, Kuroko wasn't sure what else was.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Eh?"

"Kagami-kun is not enjoying himself because he is thinking too much. Thinking too much is dangerous for idiots." Kuroko said, taking a spoonful of Stracciatella.

"Shut up!"

They had walked half of the High Line, stopping at the small Italian place that was closer to the end. They hadn't felt tired the majority of the trip, but now that it was near seven o'clock in the evening, their energy was winding down. Kagami remained silent on the matter as he looked towards the skyline, admiring the purple and pink hues that transitioned into a smooth darker blue, the way the buildings clawed upwards, the vastness of the city. The crescent moon was already out, hanging high in the sky as it waited for the sun to fully set. Lights along the High Line were intertwined with the foliage and train tracks, and the air was less humid but still warm. The breezes felt cooler, and the smell of the dianthus and lavender blooms made Kagami feel calmer. Why was he so against telling Kuroko about his small insecurities? If he could not trust Kuroko, who could he trust?

"I just thought you might have wanted to let go of my hand."

"I have been saying that since the park."

"Not because I have clammy hands!"

Kuroko raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, cocking his head to the side just enough to resemble Nigo. Kagami was getting frustrated.

"Didn't you feel embarrassed?" Shit, that wasn't the right word.

"Did you feel embarrassed to be seen with me, Kagami-kun?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"Then why would I feel such a way to be seen with you?"

"That's not what I meant. People stare at me all the time in the states, Kuroko. I stick out. I just didn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

Kagami felt something cold and wet hit his cheek, his left eye twitching as he looked up at Kuroko, glaring at him and his makeshift spoon-slingshot. He swore to fucking God--

"You really are an idiot."

"Damn it Kuroko!" Kagami wiped the gelato off of his face with one of the napkins on the table.

"Why would anything else matter except Kagami-kun?"

A beat. Kagami turned a shade of bright pink.

"Why do you have to say such embarrassing things!"

"So you are embarrassed to be seen around me."

"Shut up!"

They walked the rest of the High Line and Kuroko didn't let go of Kagami's hand. He spoke on the matter only once. "It's much cooler now," he had said to Kagami as they walked over Chelsea, "so your hand is not as sweaty." Kagami cursed under his breath but didn't say anything else about it after that. They took the metro back up, and Kagami noticed Kuroko's bright blue eyes closing slowly.

"We can head back soon," he looked over at Kuroko, who was rubbing his eyes, "there's one thing you should see before we get back though."

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Kuroko has no idea what Kagami wants to do and he's quite tired. But he trusts Kagami, and it isn't only in a way as lovers or friends, teammates or as partners, and it scares him from time to time how easily Kagami can make his heart grow and his thoughts crescendo and his breath flutter and hitch in his throat. Kagami is his soul's partner, his soul's friend. When he had lost Kagami earlier, Kuroko had not truly contemplated the idea of never seeing him again.

It was painful to even consider for the briefest of moments a life without him.

He's lost in his thoughts but his hand tightens around Kagami's.

Kagami tightens back, but only because of the crowd. However, he's large enough to part the clustering masses of people with ease, and if he keeps Kuroko close enough to his person there's no trouble at all for the smaller boy. He has to remind himself not to crush Kuroko's hand, and they're finally in the center of everything and Kuroko's not even appreciating it.

"Kuroko, look up. You're missing it."

And Kuroko has seen photos and videos of the great city of New York, but it's different to see everything overflowing with life and the way that the city burns, burns, burns, like stars in space and the majesty of it all blows him away. His eyes widen and his lips part just enough for Kagami to feel something stirring inside of his chest, and it's not sexual drive but it's not entirely innocent either and he is filled with want.

Kuroko looks over at Kagami who's right next to him, his hand still as tight as before and he's got this strange look on his face. And Kuroko isn't sure what it exactly means but before he has time to ask he feels Kagami's lips dangerously against his own, Kagami's breath on his mouth and he's swallowed up by Kagami's body and Kuroko melts into him, standing on his toes to rise and meet Kagami.

Kagami apologizes after they part, "I couldn't stop myself."

Kuroko's eyelashes flutter open and his lips are a bright shade of pink and he feels like a city, electricity overflowing and running rampant in his veins and he burns, burns, burns like stars in space.

"It's beautiful, Kagami-kun." He doesn’t look away when he says this, and it's too dark to tell for sure but he can feel the heat rise to Kagami's face.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" They don't break eye contact.

"Yeah."

Grand Central isn't far from them, so they walk back and enjoy the throbbing lights and strange allure of insomnia and concrete.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

On the bus ride home Kuroko takes the window seat and he's looking outside but he's so tired and he can't keep himself awake. Occasionally he'll slip and it bothers the hell out of Kagami after the third or fifth time because Kuroko's neck is just too skinny, too pale and delicate and his bobbing, bright blue head is plain adorable but he doesn't want Kuroko to get sore. Or break his neck, for that matter. He really wants to kiss it. So when Kuroko's eyes are on their way down and he leans just a bit too far to the right, there's a loud _thunk!_ and Kagami's had fucking enough.

"Idiot," he scowls, and Kuroko's too sleepy to deal with angry Kagami but he suddenly feels warm and Kagami's large hand is in his hair and Kuroko's head is pushed onto Kagami's shoulder.

"You have me, remember?"

Kuroko breathes in and it smells like citrus and cedarwood.

He looks up at Kagami for a moment and Kagami's looking away, hand still on Kuroko's head as he glares out the window. There's just enough color on his face to make Kuroko smile briefly, and he sighs.

"What is it now?" Kagami isn't irritated but he's still trying to convince himself that he's more angry than embarrassed.

"I'm very tired," he shifts, curling up into Kagami's body, "but now I want to have sex with Kagami-kun."

Kagami's face is flushed the entire bus ride home and he's too embarrassed to look down at Kuroko's faint smile.

((Kuroko falls asleep on the bus and Kagami carries him inside and sets him down, but when Kagami steps out of the bathroom Kuroko's got his shirt off and he wraps his arms around Kagami neck and he runs his thumb over Kagami's lower lip and says, "I have you, remember?" all breathy and Kagami still hasn't fully recovered from the bus ride and he can feel his face getting hot again so he just nods and murmurs, "yours." Kuroko nods back, "mine."))

**Author's Note:**

> The referenced flowers on the High Line are the flowers that bloom in late July (this is when the Japanese school semester typically ends).
> 
> They'll talk about Kagami's parents in the next chapter--because this was already 7 pages I decided against putting it in this one. Sorry team.
> 
> The Mall where Kuroko is found is towards the center of Central Park. A little north of there (I think north, I just know where it is not really what direction it is please use a map if you're looking for it) is the Wisteria Pergola, which is why he smells wisteria. 
> 
> Kagami would have purposely avoided going into Times Square in daylight to build up to it later, hence why Kuroko is literally in awe because it's the first time he sees it in real life period.
> 
> As you probably have gathered, italics mean English and will always mean English if they're in quote marks.


End file.
